The No-Longer Missing Link Between Oral Health and Systemic Health with Dr. Chip Whitney

The hipbone is connected to the leg bone. Any doctor or kindergartner can tell you that.

But it’s taken years of research and a fundamental shift in our approach to medicine to both uncover and address the connection between oral health and the health of your body’s major systems.

That’s where Dr. Chip Whitney, MD focuses his practice.

Charles Whitney, MD is double board certified in Family Medicine and Sports Medicine. After graduating from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia and completing his residency at David Grant USAF Medical Center, he served as a physician in the United States Air Force. From there, he joined the University of Pennsylvania Health System, where he established his Concierge medical practice, Revolutionary Health Services, in 2003.

Since then, he has become a leading advocate of bridging the “oral-systemic gap” between dentistry and medicine.

To many, the fundamentals are obvious. If you have an infection in your mouth, it can affect other parts of your body. But broader health implications are only beginning to come to light. Dr. Whitney has spent the better part of his career emphasizing the importance of preventative medicine. And even more importantly, he is dedicated to the prevention side, from the perspective of a medical doctor.

He’s a rare breed. But his emphasis on good dental health for patient general health is gaining more attention in the medical field. His reasoning comes from the science and his own personal experience treating patients at risk of heart attacks and strokes.

“I have seen countless patients significantly improve their blood tests, simply by improving their oral health, thus lowering their risk of heart attack and stroke.”

-Dr. Chip Whitney

When asked about the most common side effect of oral inflammation, Dr. Whitney goes on, “Gum bleeding, usually seen as blood in the sink, is a sign of oral inflammation. There is, by definition, an open door to the flow of bacteria from the mouth into the bloodstream and spraying everywhere. Wherever those bacteria land, they have the potential to elicit the same inflammatory reaction that they do in the mouth in those distal organs like the pancreas, uterus, brain and arteries.”

This is serious. And fortunately, it’s treatable. As a champion of preventative medicine, Dr. Whitney sees great promise in the Perio Protect Method of treating gum disease.

Not only does Perio Protect stop the bleeding at its source. It has been shown to reverse the infections caused by malignant bacteria deep below the gum line.

Further, the treatment is comfortable and repeatable. The customized trays are meant to be administered at home by the patient for the most convenient usage. And once patients see results, they are encouraged to continue treatment.

All of this is music to the ears of Dr. Whitney. Emphatically he notes, “The patient has the opportunity to alter their path through office-based dental care and quality home care.”

As if we needed more validation, he continues, “When I first heard the concept of how Perio Protect works, there was no doubt in my mind that this would effectively heal the infections of periodontal disease. In medicine, we have been using hyperbaric medicine to treat chronic wounds, like diabetic foot ulcers, for decades. Perio Protect is simply a hyperbaric chamber in the mouth!”

We couldn’t agree more. And as dentists, we are proud to improve the overall health of our patients by positively impacting the health of their gums.